Page 31 - Metaphysical questions of life

educa on and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Kṛṣṇa. But

Kṛṣṇa is not like the forge ul soul. If so, Kṛṣṇa’s teachings of Bhagavad-
gītā would be useless.”

Lord Krishna established the full eternality of the soul before birth, in
the body and a er death. Most religions such as Judaism, Chris anity,
Islam and related offshoot religions a ribute the existence of the indi-
vidual soul with the genesis of the material body. In general, they be-
lieve the individual soul is created in the womb or at birth. Thus they

emphasize the burial of the body a er death so that at the me of the
final judgement the bodies will be resurrected and reunited with the
soul for either eternal life or eternal suffering and for some souls, anni-
hila on.

The Vedic version concerning the full eternality of the soul gives rise to
the possibility of reincarna on in a material body. One can be eternally
liberated in the spiritual world or eternally subject to birth, old age,

disease and death in the material world. However, Krishna is merciful.
He gives the opportunity to easily a ain libera on from the material
world by cul va ng Krishna consciousness.

The material body is a temporary covering of the eternal soul. A person
bewildered by the illusory desire to be independent of God may in-
sanely a empt to dominate and exploit nature for selfish pursuits.
When and if the person awakens from his feckless endeavor to emu-

late God and decides to surrender to the will of Krishna and abide by
His instruc ons, he begins the auspicious journey toward eternal salva-
on. This is the purpose of the material world.

The material world is a prison and the rebellious souls are the prisoners
who transmigrate according to their karma among the 8.4 million spe-
cies of life. In the human form of life, they have the ability to under-
stand the true predicament of suffering due to birth, old age, disease

and death in which they find themselves. By the mercy of bona fide
spiritual teachers who can explain the Bhagavad-gita As It Is anyone
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